subject: Three Features To Look For In Emr Systems [print this page] If you operate in the Healthcare industry (unless you've been living in a cave), you probably know about the Federal Government's scheme to pay for electronic medical records systems across the United States. It's all part of the stimulus package, of course, which means a lot of free government money will be handed out this year and next. The medical product industry has changed dramatically as a result, as these products make their way into medical practices still using paper medical records.
Very few parts of the software industry feature as much of an "embarrassment of riches" when it comes to vendor choice. With the aforementioned Government money available to all doctors, however, the EMR system sector does, indeed, fit that category. New companies abound, this sector continues to develop as the Government moves to make electronic medical records a part of every medical practice. To begin your selections, cut your list of potential companies down to five or less, then check out these points:
1. CCHIT Certification Means Quality - In response to the huge interest in the development of EMR software systems, the industry created a commission known as CCHIT (or the Certification Commission for Health Information Technology) in order to build and adopt standards for medical records software. Achieving CCHIT-certification isn't cheap or simple, which is why it's practically a guarantee that you're dealing with a good application and company as the industry has. Avoid all non-CCHIT certified vendors off the hop, and your shortlist will be far more powerful.
2. "Meaningful Use", And Its Serious Importance - Of all factors, having a shop with advanced knowledge of the Government's idea of "meaningful use" is important when looking into an EMR system purchase. As part of the Government stimulus offer, doctors must demonstrate "meaningful use" of EMR software, which isn't as simple as it looks. As with anything Government-built, there is an abundance of small print to work through to guarantee you can qualify for the immense Medicare incentives. Ensure you ask your potential shops for their approach to "meaningful use", and ask that they provide recent references of clients whose meaningful use claim went through easily.
3. Ease Of Use - The general expense of adopting an electronic medical record system has so much to do with the ease of its use that it is surprising for most. Simple to use systems cost far less to train your staff with, as well as slash future support costs in half or more. Keeping it easy is important to ensuring your staff not only takes on, but embraces your EMR software, which ensures that you get all of the efficiencies the software can generate. To begin looking at ease of use, schedule a couple of hours to simply download and install (if a system isn't Windows-based, don't bother!) demos from your favored companies. Install them and get a reasonable feel for the program and interface. Use a "gut instinct" approach, and remember that if you feel like you may need an instruction manual simply to get started, it may not be right for you or your practice.
Deciding on an electronic medical record system is not an simple task, but with the stimulus funds soon to expire, it is a timely one. Ensure your vendor knows its product, and selecting a best of breed from the wide array of EMR systems should be easy.
